


Stories of the Second Self: We Know Our Own

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [2]
Category: The Howling (1981), Urban Fantasy - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: A young man finds out the couple who raised him are not his parents when he finds clippings and missing persons art depictions matching his own description, but that isn't the biggest surprise he will find when confronting the two he formerly saw as mother and father. His name is Mark, for he will be the mark of Year Zero in a new calendar, Alter Idem.
Series: Alter Idem [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: We Know Our Own

Mark entered his parents’ room when they were away, and found a pile of news clippings about a missing person. The photos were all of him.

"Whoa," Mark heard his mother yell out from behind him. "What're you doing in here? You know the rules!"

"Explain this," Mark seethed flashing the news clippings in an angry fist.

His mother's prior fury burnt up in a flash to be replaced by shock, and then dripping sympathy. "Mark, you don't understand, those aren't what you think."

"Oh?" he intoned through gritted teeth.

"Those aren't about you being taken from your real parents," she pleaded.

"So you admit I'm not your kid," Mark still wasn't interested in anything after her confession.

"Your real parents gave you for adoption," she said.

"Darla, what's going on?" his so-called dad asked, until coming onto the scene. "Mark, what's this?"

"You fucking tell me," Mark cursed.

"Hey, enough with the language," his dad managed to say.

"TELL ME!" Mark screamed, cutting him off.

"Okay, calm down," his dad soothed with hands up.

Mark realized his outburst scared his dad, and gritted at them both. "Fucking tell me, or I walk out of this house and go to the first cop I find."

"Mark," his dad returned to sounding stern with a forward tilting face. "If you do that there are people who will kill you. They would have when you were three years old, but for us."

"Don't bullshit me," Mark raged at them and threw the clippings at their feet.

"Mark," his mom tried again, "You're not like most other kids. I don't think your real parents knew that when they gave you up, but other people do know. Whatever you have in you, there are people who want it, and they don't care what it takes to get it."

"What do you mean, whatever I have?" Mark's irritation swelled again.

"Remember when you cut your hand on grandma's silver butter knife when you were five?" his dad said.

"Yeah, it burned like fuckin' hell," Mark recalled, and then shrugged, "So what? That could've happened to anyone."

"But they wouldn't have been poisoned by it," his mom added, "You were sick to your stomach for more than a week, and you trembled for two days. I promise you, that's not normal for other kids. But it's normal for us."

"Who's us?" Mark demanded.

They didn't answer, just pulled their shirts and pants off, causing Mark to raise his hands, "Ho! You guys, hey!"

They ignored his surprise and budding disgust. Mom had a black sports bra, and both wore athletic shorts as underwear. They slipped off their shoes and socks before both flinched from full body wracking spasms.

Mark couldn't move or speak for nearly two minutes it took for his fake parents revealed their true nature as werewolves. These weren't WWE werewolves or the old school black and white Lon Chaney craptastic fur glued-to-face effects. They became therianthropic wolves with hands closer to paws with opposable thumbs, ankles raised from the ground, and tails. Their fully lupine faces still managed to convey sympathy for him, but the yellow eyes somehow added a sincerity that he'd never felt he witnessed anyone else he'd met.

He knew his people.

"That's what I am?" Mark needlessly asked pointing at them with raised brows.

His mother nodded with a dip of her wolf muzzle.

Mark's hands ran through his hair, as he turned away to absorb this revelation. "Ohh, fuck!"


End file.
